Abstract

The paper examines the effects of the reorganization of German industrial enterprises on the roles of foremen (Maister). Referring to several case studies of a survey on the working situation of middle managers, the authors argue that German foremen are faced with far-reaching changes. One of the reasons is the concept of "intrapreneurship", which plays a major role in the process of restructuring management system. It promotes the decentralization of competencies and responsibilities to lower levels of management. This strenghtens the position of front line management in managing manual workers and directing production processes. However, this development provokes specific risks for foremen. One is a serious reduction of staffing levels, and another is the problem of overtaxing front line managers, that arises from very complex new task structures.